A complete shutter down and wheel jam strike was observed in parts of Balochistan. PHOTO: PPI/ FILE

QUETTA: A complete shutter-down and wheel jam strike was observed in parts of Balochistan on Tuesday, paralysing business and trade activities in the province. The strike had been called by Baloch National Front (BNF) against what they described as Balochistan’s “forced accession” to Pakistan on March 27, 1948.

The flow of traffic on the National and RCD Highway between Quetta to Karachi, Taftan and Nasirabad was suspended. The strike was backed by other nationalist parties and Baloch Students Organisation (BSO), but there were no statements issued.

A partial strike was observed in Quetta, where Baloch populated areas like Saryab, Berwary, New Saryab, Joint Road and other parts of the city remained closed.

All the educational institutions in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Naushki, Kharan, Panjgur, Washuk, Turbat, Mand, Industrial Town of Hub, Sibi, Kacchi, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Khuzdar and other townships also remained closed.

“This was a black day for the Baloch nation because Pakistani forces invaded Balochistan and forced accession to Pakistan,” the BNF said in a statement.

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Reader Comments (28)

What a sad day..? why such a situation never witnessed before 4.5 years ? why the democratic govt & political parties not able to resolve Baluchistan crises which they used to claim to solve once in power & thru democratic process…what is stopping them TODAY when we hv an elected govt & political democratic system ? or out-source Baluchistan to CHINA, infact outsource PAKISTAN.Recommend

The UN should be called in to arbiter this problem. I don’t see any alternative to holding a plebiscite. If the majority of the Baloch – not just the 100-odd sardars, want independence, the matter would be different. But until then, we cannot have a few youngsters living abroad to dictate terms to Pakistan.

Nonsense, all parts of British India had to go to India or Pakistan and no region or state was allowed to be independent. And the baluch jirga did accept union with Pk. Same happened in all Indian states. However, India later abolished states and rajas and merged all areas with India while we retained special status for some areas.

A very sad day. Everything’s going tits up in every major cities of our country.

Balochistan isn’t comprised of Baloch only. It has got considerably large Pushtun population and let’s not forget the minorities. I know for a fact that majority of Baloch don’t want a separate country (many of my friends are educated Baloch). Only a handful of Baloch (the trouble makers backed by illiterate serdars) hold such views. But the government really needs to address the problems faced by people of Balochistan. If the government chose to turn a blind eye to their miseries, things are going to turn very ugly. Uglier than 70s.

Work went on as it would be on any routine day and there was hardly any shutter down. An army of Baloch Ministers and Secretaries were attending their offices. Nawabs and Sardars were busy enjoying at exchequer money. Those sardars and nawabs outside the Government were busy distorting history and getting larger than size from ever bussiness hungry media.
There was never any such day in the history of Pakistan. One Nawab, one sardar and an asparant Nawab wants to impose their wishes on the people of Balochistan
Sorry we the people of balochistan are not the slaves of foreign funded Recommend

A very sad day indeed. Time has come to do a serious introspection if survival as a nation is an objective. Otherwise living in a state of denial, like some of the comments to this news suggest, will further accelerate the gradual evaporation of an already truncated nation.

It is time the leaders got together and stopped this nonsense by mutual discussions. It will be suicidal if Balochistan is allowed to go Bangladesh way. It is time for the leaders to show their statesmanship. Before things go out of control and as usual violence starts, the leaders must act. Please address any specific grievances of the people of Balochistan immediately.

Dear for God sake, have a break. Go and study the history of partition and then comment. Kalat state was not in the subcontinent and what happened then after is part of the history (not in the Pakistan studies book).

Well, iron hand policy has led to current state of affair. Use of force and mutilated bodies will deepen the divide. Baloch youths are horribly dissatisfy with Pakistan. Ostrich attitude and threatening comments are not going to resolve this issue.

I suggest that Supreme Court of Pakistan should conduct a full-fledged inquiry and also listen to Baloch leaders, experts, youth and victims via video link, ensure their security as Memo Commission is listening to Mansoor Ejaz.

I dont really care where Kalat state was or how Balochistan acceded to pakistan. It must stay within the borders. This isnt Bangladesh with 100 million or so people seperated by 1,000 miles of hostile India, this is a province populated by around 15 MIllion people of whom less than 10 MIllion are Baloch and of whom only a handful want so called independence. Why do I advocate crushing them, cause its the easiest thing to do. yes given the choice between genocide and losing balochistan my pick is genocide, go ahead hate me, i really dont care.

Poor people who only want to earn living for them and their families closed the shops due these THUGS threatening to destroy the opened shops.
We are PAKISTANIS and will remain Pakistani.
The bunch of this minority loosers will loose at the end as their masters are shortliving and enjoying life in self declared exile.

Those who are aware of the correct history know that forced accession actually took place on this day 64 years ago.. Those who don’t know about the real history they can beat about bushes and can make senseless comment as evident from the comments made above…

This first step towards solving the Balochistan problem is to accept the real problem which is of 64 years of oppression. Then we can move forward. If we remained in state of denial then another east Pakistan like debacle will be knocking on our doors.

@MAD
. the kind of mentality that you have is responsible for the Balochistan Problem. People who know nothing about Balochistan and don’t know the world outside their Bedroom justifying Genocide what a pity.Recommend

So some trouble makers have taken money from anti Pakistani agents to create trouble. This doesn’t change the fact that the majority of Baluch are pro Pakistani and all the work of the anti state criminals operating from Afghanistan will be wasted.

It is time for Pakistan to introspect and take corrective steps so that dissatisfaction/agony of Baloch people does not reach on the brink of breaking. Grievances of Baloch people should be properly addressed.